I have no idea what market the D800 is targeting, since none of Nikon's lenses can even maximally use the 36 MP sensor.

The 5DII trounced the D700 in sales. Nikon assumed it was due to 21 MP vs. 12 MP. So, Nikon skated to where the puck used to be, and developed the 36 MP D800. Canon listened to Wayne and skated to where the puck was going - they developed the 5DIII, which seems to be trouncing the D800 in sales.

So in other words, Canon actually does deliver on what most photographers want? Wow!

Seems so. I remember about a years worth of "what do you want to see in the new 5D3?" posts right here and the vast majority stated "don't increase the pixel count just fix the *&^%* autofocus" and next was "less moire in the video". Mission accomplished...had the 5D2 and like the 5D3 much better largely for these two things, though there are plenty others as well.

I'm sure a D800 is a fine camera for full daylight shooting with the extra DR at ISO 100, but there is this thing call "indoors" and another thing called "dusk" and another called "night"...lol.

The real advantage over the 5D II is only the Autofocus..and yet not complete!!!

Better High ISO, better layout/ergonomics, better AFMA, better grip, better video (I can't honestly comment on this as I have never shot video with any DSLR), Nice having an extra card slot just in case (should have been a CF card!), better high end card performance (if that matters to you), The AF on the Mk3 blows the Mk2 out of the water, better NR, better processor and I feel a much better overall build.

Based on specs on paper, those Nikon models should be providing greater value. But based on customer ratings, they are providing greater dissatisfaction.

Very very good points. I forgot about quiet shutter which I have to say is amazing.

Quiet shutter - works really well at weddings

I think I forgot because I can hardly hear it at events like that=)

+1

Don't forget that the auto-focus of the 5D III is not all the same as 1D x's, while that seems no big difference, it surely is a lot better in low light,without mentioning the spot-meter linked to all AF points.

Even the 6D's center AF point is better in low light than 5D III's any AF Point

So, the 5D III IS a lot better camera than its predecessor, there still are some important limitations even for weddings or low light events.I've had troubles achieving a good focus with all the lenses in some low light situations.

I don't know what will the next 5D camera have or improve, but i think there's still room of improving the auto-focus.

We really didn't need all those AF points, nor should it have all that ''complicated'' auto-focus,All it should have was a 1Dx-like low light performance with fewer AF points

... and it all boils down to the price! There have been plenty of complaints about the price in comparison to the D800 but your whinge comes late by about a year.

Price is the last thing you should worry about once a purchase has been made. However, if you are still in the market, you need to see which system serves you best - a camera body is just another cog in the wheel.

I had a look at toppreise.ch. The list does look similar. However, I did not fine the ranking of sales. The list that have the D800 and the D600 on top is ranked by popularity. Popularity in such a site does not necessarily mean sale figure. It can be, for example, the number of searches .

I had a look at toppreise.ch. The list does look similar. However, I did not fine the ranking of sales. The list that have the D800 and the D600 on top is ranked by popularity. Popularity in such a site does not necessarily mean sale figure. It can be, for example, the number of searches .

+1, no where do I see a what that Top 100 list is, except "Popularity" which could mean anything.

But...even if it does mean sales, Amazon.com (USA) is a substantially larger market size. Currently, the sales rankings for FF dSLRs (excerpted from the dSLR list) on Amazon have the 6D as the best-selling FF dSLR (#10/11 overall), followed by the 5DIII (#12/14 overall). The D600 is #19, followed by the old 5DII at #22, then the D800 at #23.

Also, as referenced above, based on customer reviews on amazon.com the 5DIII blows the D800 out of the water (and Canon in general fares vastly better than Nikon). As I stated, the 5DIII tops the list of Top 100 Rated. How about Nikon's FF dSLRs? The highest customer rated one is the D4 at a rather sad #51, followed by the old D700 at #52, and the D800 doesn't make the list at all.

Regarding AF point-linked spot metering, be careful what you wish for. The original EOS 1-D had that and I found it terrible, especially with flash metering. Unless the little AF sensor is on a mid-toned part of the subject your metering will be off, and often way off.

After a long time of frustration and bad exposures I discovered a helpful solution with the 1-D. By turning off AF on the lens, the metering pattern switched to average. Sure I had to give up AF but metering came closer to reliable.